Leadership crisis rocks Osun IPAC as parties reject caretaker committee

A fresh leadership crisis has engulfed the Osun State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), with several member political parties rejecting a caretaker committee recently announced by the council’s national leadership and demanding the immediate resignation of its National Executive Committee (NEC).

The dispute, which has further polarised the state chapter, stems from the inability of the national body to conduct an election to replace the former state executive after the expiration of its tenure.

The development has left the council without substantive leadership for months and sparked accusations of bias, incompetence and unconstitutional actions against the national officers.

At a press conference held in Osogbo on Saturday, representatives of more than 10 political parties described the appointment of a caretaker committee for Osun IPAC as illegal and contrary to the council’s constitution.

The aggrieved members insisted that the only acceptable solution is the conduct of a transparent and credible election to produce a new state executive.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) in Osun State, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, accused the IPAC National Executive Committee of abandoning democratic principles and acting without consulting stakeholders in the state.

According to him, the leadership vacuum began after the tenure of the immediate past Osun IPAC Chairman, Pastor Victor Akande of the Accord Party, expired in February 2026.

He explained that although an election was scheduled for March 14, two candidates, Akande and himself, had indicated interest in contesting for the chairmanship, but the exercise failed to hold after officials assigned to conduct the election did not show up.

Odeyemi recalled that the National Organising Secretary of IPAC subsequently informed members that the election had been postponed and that a new date would be announced.

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However, he alleged that no further communication was received from the national secretariat until the sudden announcement of a caretaker committee several months later.

He faulted the justification reportedly given by the national leadership that prevailing political tension in Osun informed its decision to postpone the election, arguing that such a claim was unfounded.

“If INEC, which is responsible for conducting elections, has not declared the political atmosphere unsafe, why should IPAC conclude that conditions are not conducive for an election involving just 22 party chairmen?” he asked.

The group further argued that the IPAC Constitution does not provide for the appointment of a caretaker committee, insisting that the action was unconstitutional and imposed without the consent of member parties.

Odeyemi also alleged that the composition of the caretaker committee reflected political bias, claiming that certain parties were deliberately favoured while others were excluded.

He particularly questioned the appointment of the Action Peoples Party (APP) chairman in Osun, Odesola Oluseyi Titus, as head of the committee, alleging that the decision was politically motivated.

He maintained that the parties were aware of the events surrounding the aborted March election but had exercised restraint in the hope that the national leadership would eventually conduct a fresh poll.

The coalition consequently called on the National Executive Committee of IPAC, led by National Chairman Dr. Yusuf Dantalle and National Secretary Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, to resign, accusing them of incompetence and failing to uphold the democratic ideals of the council.

The aggrieved parties also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to distance itself from the Osun chapter of IPAC until a legitimate leadership emerges through a credible election, especially with the August 15 governorship election drawing near.

Among the political parties represented at the briefing were the APC, APM, ZLP, AAC, Labour Party, NDC, ADP and other members of the council, all of whom endorsed the demand for the rejection of the caretaker committee and the conduct of a fresh election.